Check out Vauxhall’s new Insignia Country Tourer

The latest addition to the all-new Insignia range, Vauxhall’s all-wheel drive Insignia Country Tourer, is on sale now priced from £25,635 on-the-road. Tim Barnes-Clay reports.

Spacious

The Country Tourer is more spacious and considerably lighter than its predecessor, thanks to an all-new architecture, and comes with a wide range of innovative technologies. With all-round black protective cladding and silver front and rear skid plates, the newcomer has a tough and rugged off-road appearance.

Top Of Range

Sitting at the top of Vauxhall’s passenger car range, the Insignia Country Tourer will compete with rivals including the Volkswagen Passat Alltrack and the Audi Allroad.

Important

“The Country Tourer takes the Insignia story a step further. With its all-wheel-drive capability, raised ground clearance and rugged appearance, it adds another important dimension to the new Insignia range,” said Vauxhall spokesman, Stuart Harris.

Distinct

From the very start of the development process, the designers and engineers worked on a third distinct Insignia variant, meaning the Country Tourer perfectly complements the Grand Sport and Sports Tourer models.

Rugged

The prominent landscape grille and slim headlamps give the new Insignia Country Tourer a wide, clean look, while the skid plate helps to give the car a solid stance. Moulded black protective cladding in the lower fascia, wheel arches and along the lower body side emphasises its rugged appearance. The adventurous design cues continue at the rear too, with the silver-coloured skid plate and dual exhaust bezels reinforcing the lower, wider impression.

Robust

“We wanted our new Insignia Country Tourer to be robust in every respect, while simultaneously displaying the typical elegant Vauxhall philosophy of technical precision meets sculptural artistry,” said Mark Adams, Vice President Design. “It has the presence of a true flagship, combining a sophisticated athletic shape enhanced by rugged off road detailing.”

Practical

The new Insignia Country Tourer, is above all, extremely practical. To make loading as easy as possible, the tailgate can be opened without touching the car. In combination with Keyless Open & Start, a simple kicking motion under the rear bumper is enough to open the tailgate (a vehicle silhouette projected onto the ground shows the correct area), with another kicking motion required to close it. To increase loading space to 1,665 litres, 135 litres more than the outgoing version, the new Insignia Country Tourer comes with optional 40/20/40 foldable rear seats, enabling even more flexible loading space configurations. The standard roof rails not only emphasise the adventurous look, but allow the Insignia Country Tourer to carry roof loads of up to 100kg.

Wheelbase

The wheelbase has been increased by 92mm, enabling a more spacious cabin. The new Insignia Country Tourer comes with AGR-certified premium ergonomic front seats and the heated outer rear seats, heated windscreen and the heated steering wheel like its Grand Sport and Sports Tourer siblings.

Powertrains

The Insignia Country Tourer is currently available with Vauxhall’s popular 2.0-litre Turbo D (170PS) (NEDC fuel consumption: urban 39.8mpg, extra-urban 61.4mpg, combined 51.4mpg; 145g/km CO2). Completing the powertrain line-up, a 2.0-litre Bi-Turbo D with 210PS will arrive in December.

Transmissions

The new eight-speed automatic adds a high-end transmission to the Vauxhall portfolio. Compared with a six-speed automatic, the new eight-speed gearbox is even more responsive. Additional contributors to its outstanding performance include smart design packaging, which reduces its mass and dimensions compared with six-speed units.